Hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR), prepared by the selective hydrogenation of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (nitrile rubber; NBR, a co-polymer containing at least one conjugated diene, at least one unsaturated nitrile and optionally further comonomers), is a specialty rubber which has very good heat resistance, excellent ozone and chemical resistance, and excellent oil resistance. Coupled with the high level of mechanical properties of the rubber (high resistance to abrasion) it is not surprising that NBR and HNBR have found widespread use in the automotive (seals, hoses, bearing pads) oil (stators, well head seals, valve plates), electrical (cable sheathing), mechanical engineering (wheels, rollers) and shipbuilding (pipe seals, couplings) industries, amongst others.
Commercially available HNBR has a Mooney viscosity in the range of from 55 to 105, a molecular weight in the range of from 200,000 to 500,000 g/mol, a polydispersity greater than 3.0 and a residual double bond (RDB) content in the range of from 1 to 18% (by IR spectroscopy).
One limitation in processing HNBR is the relatively high Mooney Viscosity. In principle, HNBR having a lower molecular weight and lower Mooney viscosity would have better processability. Attempts have been made to reduce the molecular weight of the polymer by mastication (mechanical breakdown) and by chemical means (for example, using strong acid), but such methods have the disadvantages that they result in the introduction of functional groups (such as carboxylic acid and ester groups) into the polymer, and the altering of the microstructure of the polymer. This results in disadvantageous changes in the properties of the polymer. In addition, these types of approaches, by their very nature, produce polymers having a broad molecular weight distribution.
A hydrogenated nitrile rubber having a low Mooney (<55) and improved processability, but which has the same microstructure as those rubbers which are currently available, is difficult to manufacture using current technologies. The hydrogenation of NBR to produce HNBR results in an increase in the Mooney viscosity of the raw polymer. This Mooney Increase Ratio (MIR) is generally around 2, depending upon the polymer grade, hydrogenation level and nature of the feedstock. Furthermore, limitations associated with the production of NBR itself dictate the low viscosity range for the HNBR feedstock. Currently, one of the lowest Mooney viscosity products available is Therban® VP KA 8837 (available from Bayer), which has a Mooney viscosity of 55 (ML 1+4 @ 100° C.) and a RDB of 18%.
Co-pending applications CA-2,351,961, CA-2,357,470, CA 2,350,280 and CA 2,357,465 disclose a low-Mooney NBR and HNBR and a method for producing said low-Mooney NBR and HNBR. Adhesives (glues) are substances capable of forming and maintaining a bond between two surfaces, and sealants (caulks) are substances used to fill gaps or joints between two materials to prevent the passage of liquids, solids or gases. These two classes of materials are often considered together because quite frequently a given formulation performs the both functions.
Sealants are available as one-component solvent evaporation curing products and as thermoplastic hot melts. There is no curing process; the compound gets its functionality through solvent loss and/or a decrease in temperature. When a sealant is applied, the solvent evaporates or migrates into porous substrates and the tough, rubbery compound is left in place. This is in contrast to other sealant types that cure chemically.